teaching medication safety

[firewife1997]

We are doing teaching on our last day of clinicals. My partner and I will be teaching medication safety/administration to seniors at an adult day center. does anyone have any suggestions or ideas. We've got some 7 day medication holders that we are going to give away.

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

a search of the aarp site for "medication safety" got some of these links:

http://www.aarp.org/health/staying_healthy/prevention/my_personal_medication_record.html - my personal medication record

http://www.aarp.org/bulletin/prescription/left_in_a_lurch.html - where's my medication?

http://www.aarp.org/health/rx_drugs/usingmeds/otc_safety_tips.html - over-the-counter safety tips. some really good information here!

http://www.aarp.org/health/rx_drugs/usingmeds/ - using medications wisely. aarp links to more information on using medications safely

http://www.aarp.org/states/ma/ma-news/using_medications_wisely.html - using medications wisely. different information from the above weblink

http://www.aarp.org/health/staying_healthy/eating/herbal_supplements_are_they_safe.html - herbal supplements: are they safe?

http://www.aarp.org/learntech/wellbeing/meds_and_you_intro.html - medicines and you

http://www.myphr.com/ - my personal health record. this website is a free public service of the american health information management association (of which I happen to be a member!). you can examine and, perhaps, even choose to print off the medication section of the document as a handout. regardless, the health record is something you should all have for yourselves personally anyway. this kind of written record is valuable to have whenever you have to go to a new doctor or the emergency room because everything is already written down.

https://www.medicalert.org/medical-id  - patients on certain medications should be given information about medic alert. once they sign up for this service, they give a heath history to the company that includes a list of all the medications they are taking. besides the bracelets and tags, they also receive a credit card size card with more detailed information on it to carry with them that includes a list of their medications and emergency numbers to call.

you also might want to list or talk about some websites where medication information can be obtained online. medline plus at http://www.medlineplus.gov/ has a whole section on medication. you will find the link to "drugs & supplements" at the top left of the webpage or you can access it through the site map. if you click on "drugs & supplements" you will be taken to a page with several other links. you can search for specific drugs by putting their name in the search box or using the alphabet search on this page. the page also includes a link to medical product safety information from med watch, a division of the fda, which tracks medication errors.

most of the major pharmacies have online drug information for consumers as do major health insurance providers. this is the link to the "ask a pharmacist" archived questions on the walgreens site (http://www.walgreens.com/library/ask/aap_archive.jsp). scroll down to the section titled medication safety and you will find several questions and answers to link into on this subject. I didn't check the websites of any other pharmacies or insurance companies, but I imagine they might have similar information.

these are just the things I can come up with as I'm eating my breakfast and taking my own handful of daily pills! have fun researching!

[AnnieOaklyRN, BSN, RN, EMT-P]

Defanatly talk about polypharmacy since that is a BIG issue with the elderly since many of them see multiple doctors that do not talk to one another.

Sweetooth

[carolinapooh, BSN, RN]

Does the facility have them keep their meds information in the fridge? The assisted living facility where we did some work during my Foundations class had all of the seniors keep med printouts in large pill bottles in the fridge. Ask them if those lists are properly updated, if they have stuff like that. If not, why not make a suggestion to the facility to start such a program?

My dad used to carry a card in his wallet and wore a MedAlert bracelet b/c he took warfarin (I highly, highly recommend that anyone on anticoag tx wear one b/c they may not be able to find your wallet/purse/bag but you're sure to have that on your person). I also kept a list of all of his and Mom's meds on my person just in case they needed a third party with all the information. Mom keeps a list on her fridge of contact people (in case something were to happen and EMS ended up, God forbid, at her house and she couldn't speak for herself) in addition to the meds list, as the EMS folks here are being taught to look in fridges as well.

Just suggestions you might be able to add to your teaching.